Stone Embrace
by Cynder Snowe
Summary: Kyrra Stone was tough, no doubt about it. But when she sneaks into Percy's house to steal his mom's bracelet, she's going to go on a journey that will test all her strength, inside and out.
1. Prologue: Braille and Questions

A/N: This is a story I thought of when I was bored, and thought I could make it work. It stars an O/C (own character) of mine, named Kyrra (Key-rah) Stone, and contains mature content, such as swearing, drugs, abuse, blood, gore, and, later, sex. If you don't like any of those things, don't read. Please. I hate when people get angry after they read something, knowing what they were getting into. This is also not just about sex, it has a plot, so please, keep that in mind too. This story takes place right after The Last Olympian, and a few other Camps have been set up, one in Chicago, one in England (near Hogwarts, haha. Just kidding, not a cross-over), and another in China. Somewhere. So, there are foreign demigods who have places to go. So. Um. There you go. Enjoy.

Stone Embrace: Prologue

Braille and Questions

I've been asked, many times, if I love Perseus Jackson. I tell them yes, it's only the truth. Then, they ask if he cheated on Annabeth with me. I laugh in their faces and shake my head. They're puzzled by this, so then I have to explain: that I love him, but I'm not _in_ love with him. They ask how that can be, how a girl can love someone without being in love. I enlighten them, but they still don't get it. So, I use simple terms. You love your siblings, right? They reply that yes, they do. So then I ask if they were in love with them, which caused great stuttering, and red faces, and quite a few even shouted "No!" I tell them it's the same for me with Percy. He's my brother, in all but blood, or marriage. Only then do they understand.

Next comes the slew of questions: Why are you two so close? Are you actually related? Are you just another daughter of Poseidon? I try and evade as many questions as I can. I hate talking about myself. They don't listen, but the questions keep coming. The ones doing the asking aren't satisfied until I've answered them all, in as much detail as possible.

It gets old, telling the same things over and over. So, I've decided to write everything down. It's hard, though, since I'm dyslexic, but it's worth it. I actually taught myself Braille, in order to make it easier on myself. It also is good to know if you're going to pretend to be blind. Just a tip for future reference.

I hate talking about myself. Did I say that already? I do. So, to prevent that from happening every day for the rest of my life, all of the curious souls can just read about my tale. At least that way the gossip will stop. Or, at least, that's one of my goals. Did you know that demigods are notorious for gossip? It's one of the traits they all share, since all of their Godly parents have that weakness, too. Well, most of them. Hermes especially. Another random fact you might need to know in the future.

I used to be a thief. I think that's a good place for me to start. My mother was dead; my father was a vengeful bastard that was only out for his own agenda. No, I am not talking about my Other parent, but the real-life human being that raised me. They are my true parents, not the one who's unreal DNA made me. By the way, does anyone else question how that works, exactly? If the Gods don't have any DNA, how do we have two different sets in us? Perhaps we're not supposed to look at it closely. Or maybe no one expects us to be interested in Biology. I'm not either, but I know things. Random things.

I'm getting off subject again. I'm easily distracted, another one of my "charming" gifts I get from being a demigod. I have ADHD, which made me kind of dangerous as a thief. I am impulsive, highly so and always have to be moving. I don't think I can sit still long enough to save my life.

I got off onto another tangent again, didn't I? Well, let me try again. I was a thief, my father taught me how. It wasn't something my mother was proud of, but it put food on our table, so she looked the other way. Maybe it was the stress of our thievery, or maybe we angered somebody upstairs (as in above our one-room apartment), but my mother died when I was 12, leaving me alone with my father. That's when everything started.

He got into drugs, after I turned 12. Minor, at first, selling marijuana. It didn't start there, soon it was cocaine, and meth, and ecstasy. I didn't touch any of that hard-core stuff, but I won't lie and say I was perfectly innocent, either. I used pot to get high, maybe 3-4 times a week. It calmed me down, working opposite of my ADHD. I drank, too. Honestly, I have no idea how I made it through those years until I was 16 without getting arrested, or having sex. Yes, I'm a virgin. Not to say I'm innocent, I'm not. I've just never gone all the way.

My father _was_ arrested, though. I had just turned 16, and realized just how messy my life was. It was around the time I tried to quit the habit, and get a decent job. It didn't last long. The job, I mean. The moment my father was thrown in jail, I took off. I didn't want to go to a foster home, or anywhere for druggie kids, or kids with druggie parents. It was 6 months, half a year, before I met Percy. I was living on the street then. He had sometime I wanted, or, his mother did. A bracelet. It would have gotten a decent price, so I planned a break-in. I was good at things like that.

I had never been seen stealing before since being on the streets. And I had never, never actually been caught when I had been seen, back when I was so inexperienced, so young. Of course, it just happened that the first time I _was_ caught, it would have been by a demigod. Just my luck.

A/N: (Yes, I have more to say.) She isn't interested in Percy. He will still be with Annabeth. This story covers her adventures, that lead her to the point of writing this book. This prologue is not how the style of the book will be, it's just….her thoughts. The other chapters will be normal, as in what normal books look like

"Blaaah." He said, shrugging.

"Exactly." She replied.

. Stuff like that. And yes, I know. Fail example. So. NOW I'm done talking.


	2. Chapter One: A Bracelet and First Times

A/N: Yes, one of the dreaded authors notes. I promise, this one's short. Just wanted to say thank you for reading, and that this is all Kyrra's past, and what she is writing about in the prologue.

Stone Embrace – Chapter One

A bracelet and First Times

The house was dark as a small figure dressed in black slipped inside through an open window, her booted feet landing silently on the carpet. She froze for a few seconds, to calm down her erratic heart thundering in her chest long enough to detect any noised that should not be there. The apartment was supposed to be empty, the owners of the apartment gone. Hopefully, they didn't take that pretty bracelet with them. That was what she came here for anyways.

When no noise was detected, Kyrra Stone decided it was safe to move. She was in a boy's room, with sports posters and dirty clothes littering the floor. She stepped over a pair of boxers with a smirk, shaking her head. All boys were the same, she decided. Messy slobs.

The hallway was deserted too, so she felt safe to make a bit more noise. She wore gloves on her hands to prevent prints, and her hair was done in a tight bun and tucked under one of those black caps. The black cap wasn't one hundred percent necessary, but she loved clichés. She also believed she looked good in it, and it was one of her trophies. She had stolen that from one of her clients, who had tried to jip her on a pair of earrings she had, er, had acquired. Of course, it also made her look more like a boy, something she found useful at times. People trusted males more than females, for some reason.

The other doors down the hall weren't helpful. All she found was a closet, and a bathroom. The other door, besides the one at the very end of the hall, opened into a den, where a computer sat, still on. Kyrra looked around, almost sheepishly, before gliding into the room on silent feet, shaking the mouse. On the computer screen was the home page to a school, Goode High School. Boring. She almost thought of turning it to a porn site, but decided against it. It wouldn't have been subtle, and she didn't want anyone knowing someone else had been in their house. Then, they would do annoying things, like calling the police. People could become so attached to their belongings. She had no belongings to be attached to.

Since the computer had been a complete bust, she left the den, making sure to leave no trace of her presence. She even placed the computer mouse back in the same position it had been in. Or, as close as she could remember. Then she was on to the next room, opening the door carefully, waiting to see if it would creak. Creaking doors were the worst, and the hardest to sneak into.

Bingo. The next room was the master bedroom, and it only took a minute for her to locate the thing she wanted. The bracelet was just lying on the bedside table among a bunch of magazines, half-hidden behind Time Magazine. It was easy to snatch, as if it had been waiting for her there.

Kyrra allowed herself a moment of satisfaction, clenching her prize in her hands before unzipping a small pack that was strapped against her thigh and gently putting the trinket in the special-made bag. If the bracelet was damaged in any way, she'd get much less money for it, and it wasn't worth risking. She needed money to survive; even a pitiful amount could get her something. After her childhood, the one thing she promised never to steal was food.

Sneaking back into the hallway was easy, child's play. Since she decided she had some extra time, she made her way into the living room, looking around aimlessly. There wasn't anything too exciting, a backpack, a briefcase, a lot of paperwork. It looked like any other home she'd been inside. A little messy, but the mess was comforting. It meant that people _lived_ there, and not just stayed there. It looked…inviting.

The kitchen was just as messy, with dishes in the sink and a box of cereal lying on the counter, open. Cheerios. She ran her hand along the granite counter tops, a small smile on her face as she remembered her own kitchen, back when her mother had been alive. The walls were painted a baby blue, she recalled. The color had been her choice, and there was still a bit where the paint was darker, when they had run out of the first batch. It always had some mess, some spill, that made it seem…real. No one had a clean house twenty-four, seven. Not if it was lived-in.

"Mom, we can do it tomorrow. Take the night off." A young male voice called, the front door thrown open. Kyrra froze, her eyes opening as she let herself sink down, hiding behind the island in the middle of the untidy kitchen. They couldn't see her from the door, and she couldn't see them, but she detected three different sets of footsteps.

"I can do it tonight, too. I know I won't want to do them in the morning." A woman replied, and one set of the footsteps came closer, toward where the doorway in the living room was. Kyrra cursed silently, mentally willing the footsteps away. She couldn't get caught now, not after finding the great prize that she did.

"Come on, darling, listen to Percy. Tomorrow…" It was another male voice now, but older. A second set of footsteps followed the first, but both stopped. The sound of a kiss, only a slight peck, was heard, and she made a face. Adults kissing was just disgusting.

"Get a room, you two." The first male voice said. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who thought so, either. And when it was your own parents, it was worse.

"Fine." The man called, and suddenly the kitchen was flooded with light. Shit. The two footsteps were getting closer, and Kyrra knew she had no choice. She was going to make a break for it.

Standing up quickly, she assessed the situation in the blink of an eye. Two adults, near the side of the island, in a passionate embrace, but not in lip lock. They looked at the figure that had just sprung out from behind their kitchen island in surprise, and the woman screamed as the figure launched herself over it, using the countertop to pull her weight over it, to the other side.

I'm doomed, Kyrra thought to herself, charging down the hall. The sound of pursuit sounded behind her, and she put on a burst of speed. The boy's bedroom door was wide open, and she launched at it desperately, slamming it shut. The window was still wide open, and she climbed through it, onto the fire escape. The bedroom door was thrown open, and she quickly looked down. The stairs would take too long. There was only one thing to do.

She stepped onto the railing of the small fire escape ledge, peering off the edge for an instant. It wasn't _that far,_ she tried to tell herself, before she pushed off, arms spread for balance. Only, there was no sound of rushing air, no cutting wind slicing into her. Only a tight jerk on the back of her sweater. Then there was the falling feeling. The wrong way. She was being pulled _backward_, toward the window. A steely arm was wrapped around her middle, tugging with all its might. She went limp, hoping to be let go. She wasn't about to be caught now.

"Don't let him go, Paul! He might be a burglar, or a murderer!" The woman was saying, in a rush. Kyrra let out a sigh, keeping her head down. If they wanted to believe she was actually a boy, fine. It was what she was aiming for anyways, right? Bulky sweaters and loose jeans worked wonders, didn't they?

"Want me to call the cops?" The younger male piped up. Shit, shit, shit. She closed her eyes and began praying, to anyone who was listening. Please, don't let them do that. Please, please.

"No, not right now. First, we should have a little talk. See if he stole anything." With that, the arms were jerking her through the window. She clamped her mouth shut to stop from squealing in protest, and just let him do all the work. She was his captive, after all.

She was dropped unceremoniously on the floor, the window slammed shut from somewhere above her. A hand squeezed tightly on her shoulder, keeping her from standing. That worked for her, it was easier to hide her face. Her full, red lips and thick lashes always gave her away to being a girl, and she didn't know these people. Who knew what'd happen if they found out she was actually female.

"Talk." It was the older male who said that, his voice full of anger and authority. He'd make a good teacher, she mused, and then remembered the school page on the computer. Maybe he already was. She wasn't about to be bullied by a teacher, however, and shook her head obstinately.

"Just talk to us, and perhaps we can help. Did someone put you up to this?" That came from the woman, and she came closer, kneeling in front of Kyrra, who ducked her head down further. Kyrra shook her head again, but slower, to show it was her own idea. She decided if she played along long enough, she'd finally be able to escape. Hopefully. There was always a chance.

"Why were you going to jump?" That was from the man. His grip loosened on her shoulder, and she took the opportunity, jumping to her feet and twisting, shoving the man backwards a bit with her shoulder. The bedroom door was blocked by the boy, who she knocked down by wrapping her foot around his ankle and pulling. He toppled over, but not after he grabbed her hat, pulling it off. Her long red hair spilled down her back, causing everyone in the room to gasp, but she kept going.

The hallway was clear, and the living room. Of course, the deadbolt on the front door threw her a little bit, but she eventually yanked it open. It shut as soon as it was, though, from a hand above her head. She turned, looking into the face of the man, Paul she assumed. He wasn't that bad, for an old bloke, even if the hair was too salt-and-pepper for her taste.

"Young lady. You have a lot of explaining to do." He growled, grabbing her arm. This time, Kyrra allowed herself to cry out, half-faking. He was strong! And, if she was already unmasked, might as well use it to her advantage.

Paul dragged her into the kitchen, sitting her down at the table, on the side furthest from the exit. He sat next to her, the son on the other side. The woman was standing in the doorway. All three had their arms crossed, and all three's faces were the same mask of anger. Kyrra sighed and lowered her eyes to the table ashamedly. She was royally screwed, she thought angrily.

"Oh, my god. You're a thief?" That was from the woman, who had finally sat down across from Kyrra, who was now fiddling with a nickel she had found in her pocket. Apparently, none of them thought that a nickel could do much damage, so they let her keep it. Unfortunately, they were right. She was good and well trapped.

"Yes ma'am." Kyrra answered. She had only told them the basics, about being homeless, one who stole things for money. She also told them that she wasn't violent, and actually attended a high school. They asked little questions, allowing her to explain as fast or as slow as she wanted, as long as she kept talking. None of them gave her faces of pity, which she welcomed. She didn't want their sympathy.

"You stole from us." The son mused, and once again Kyrra answered an affirmative, even pulling the bracelet from the special pack and setting it down on the counter. The boy reached out for it, and as they did their hands touched.

An electric current sprang between them, shocking Kyrra lightly. The feeling wasn't unpleasant, but still odd, sending a shiver down her spine. Her arm was covered in Goosebumps as she pulled her hand away, eyes widening. The son was giving her the same wide-eyed stare with his own green orbs, but it slowly morphed into curiosity, and finally shock.

"You're one of us." He whispered, then looked over Kyrra's shoulder, at Paul. "She's a Half-blood."

A/N: I thought about making this chapter longer, but decided against it. I also wasn't going to add the part after she talked about her past, but it HAD to be added. It left a nice little cliff-hanger there. Well, not much of one. Most of you probably could figure out she's a demigod. But, now you're probably wondering who's child she is. And to crush all of your dreams of thinking you're clever, and saying it's Hermes, since he's the God of Thieves, it's not. And it IS a God, not a Titan. Well, it narrows the playing field, doesn't it? And, if you're paying attention, another God is eliminated in the prologue. . That was way more info than I wanted to give you. Thanks for reading! And reviews are lovely, please!


	3. Chapter Two: Camp and a Fucking Dragon

A/N: Um. Not much to say. I'll try to post a new chapter once every 3-5 days. I don't know how long this story is going to be, so you'll have to bear with me if it turns super long.

Stone Embrace – Chapter Two

Summer Camp and a Fucking Dragon

"I'm a what?" Kyrra was staring at the boy as if he were insane, her eyes narrowing as she lifted an eyebrow. The woman was looking down as her like she was a bug under a microscope, and Kyrra was half tempted to tell her to take a picture, it lasted longer. Paul, however, just looked plain excited. It was all very bizarre, and it took a lot of self control for Kyrra not to just walk away now. She crossed her arms over her chest, looking down at the table.

"A demigod. Don't you know? Haven't you been determined?" The boy was peering down at her, his head cocked to the side. She seemed so surprised, he mused. It was as if she had no idea what he was talking about. He scowled then, wondering if the Gods had really forgotten their promise in only 6 months. It was possible, he guessed. He'd ask his father about that as soon as he could. Maybe even Iris Message him later tonight.

"Look, you're crazy. Just call the cops now, if that's what you're going to do." Kyrra sighed heavily, her lower lip beginning to tremble. She'd really been caught. It was still new to her, still hadn't sunk in. She kept telling herself there was some new escape plan, some route she could use. Nothing came to mind.

"We can't, not now. We'll make a deal with you, however, young lady." The woman was speaking now, leaning her forearms onto the table.

"Sally, you can't be serious!" Paul was smiling when he said it, though. Kyrra was fiddling with the nickel, flipping it up in the air and catching it. She'd do anything to avoid the cops. Absolutely anything. She wondered what they were offering. Maybe their seemingly innocent family was actually working for some crime boss. Anything was possible, right?

"What?" She asked quietly. Sally, the woman, leaned forward more just to hear her.

"Come to camp with me." That was the son, and he was smiling, seeming to catch on to his mother's surprise. Camp? He wanted her to go to summer camp with him? That was it?

Kyrra tilted her head, her eyebrows furrowing. She was outweighing the pros and cons in her head. It was only camp, three months at the most of making crafts and singing Kumbaya around a campfire. She'd never been to a camp before; her parents never had enough money. It would be a new experience for her, but she'd probably have nowhere to run if things got sticky. If it kept her out of jail, though, kept the cops away.

It was a great trade-off. How dangerous could a summer camp be, anyways?

At last, Kyrra nodded. "Alright. I'll go, but only if you….promise not to call the cops." She whispered. Sally let out a pent-up sigh, grinning. Paul nodded; their business conducted, and went off to do the dishes. Sally went to help, leaving Kyrra alone with the boy, who was positively beaming. Kyrra managed to lift one corner of her mouth into a half-smile.

"I swear on the River Styx that we will not call the cops on you. And you'll like camp, don't worry." The son was saying, holding out his hand to me. "Percy, by the way. I'm Percy. Never got to introduce myself earlier." He added. Kyrra took his hand, shaking it twice before letting it to. The weird electrical shock didn't happen again.

"Kyrra." She offered to his probing gaze. She flicked the nickel back up into the air again, catching it easily. It was warm from her hand now as she examined its rough surface and many textures. It was just a normal nickel, a comfortable weight in her hand. But, as she watched, the miniature picture of Washington…winked at her. Actually winked, closing and re-opening its tiny silver eye. Kyrra froze, running her fingertip over the metal. It felt the same, and as she turned it around, nothing seemed to have changed.

She shrugged, putting the nickel into her pants pocket. It had just been a trick of the light, she rationalized. Coins don't wink. It was just a play of shadows, a simple trick. She was just over-stressed.

"Is there anywhere I can lie down?" Kyrra asked. Sally rushed right over to her, ushering her out of the kitchen and into the living room. Percy trailed after her, but disappeared into his own room, the door firmly shut.

"The couch is pretty comfortable, dear. You might want to get some sleep; it'll be an early morning." Sally was saying, fishing blankets out of one of the closets and setting them out on the couch. Kyrra gave a quiet thank you, then climbing into her make-shift bed. She laid her head on the armrest, closed her eyes, and fell asleep instantly, dreaming of cabins and roasting marshmallows, and bugs. Lots and lots of bugs.

The morning was not pretty. It was too early for Kyrra's mind to function, and it started with the whistle of a teapot, an infuriating noise in the best of circumstances. Being asleep, she bolted upright, eyes wide. The pot must have been taken off the burner, because the sound stopped. Her breathing slowly returned to normal, and she was finally able to look around.

The living room was practically the same as it was last night, but there was something different about it, at the same time. Probably because it was lighter. She usually never saw a house during the day, or with lights on, so it seemed odd to her to see one now. Especially when the occupants knew she was there. They even gave her the couch to sleep on, for Christ sake. They were good people, she decided. A little naïve, but good.

"You stayed." Paul came from the kitchen, a cup in his hand. He handed it to Kyrra, who took it reflexively. On the street, she got used to taking anything offered. It was either that, or go without, and when you didn't have much, going without was never really a good option.

"I follow through with my promises." Kyrra whispered, sipping the hot liquid in the steaming mug. It scalded her tongue, and she coughed, setting the cup down. Paul made an apologetic, and she just shrugged it off. It was a nice effort. "I see you didn't call the cops."

"We completed our end of the bargain. You need to go with Percy, anyways. Calling the cops would cause more problems than it'd solve." Paul said, and Sally stepped into the living room. She looked at the two of them, smiling. It wasn't a fake smile, or a pitying one, but a genuine smile. It was just her. Happy.

"Would anyone like some breakfast?" She asked, and Kyrra shook her head. Breakfast wasn't really her thing. She ate it, sure, but it never really mattered one way or the other if she did or not. It might have made her weight go down, but that didn't matter. She wasn't perfectly skinny, her body was too curvy for that, but that was fine. Who wanted to be a skeletal bitch, anyways?

"I would." Percy said, coming out of his room. His hair was a messy heap on his head, sticking out in every direction. Kyrra rolled her eyes, rising up from the couch.

"May I…shower?" She asked, tilting her head toward the hall. "I kind of already know where it is." She felt no shame at the last part, ignoring the steely look Paul gave her. They weren't important to her; just some nice folks who thought going to a camp with their son was worth not calling the cops. Oh, god, she thought. They're not religious freaks, were they?

Sally nodded, and Kyrra disappeared down the hall. Her clothes were clean, she had washed them the other day in one of those Laundromat places, so she'd be fine wearing them for another day, she decided. Maybe they'd be willing to stop at a store on the way there, for her to pick up something new. The camp could provide that, too, she mused. Could be a fancy camp, with their own shirts.

They did stop for clothes. Kyrra didn't even have to ask, it was just what happened. Apparently, Percy needed some new pants after tearing holes in the knees of all his old ones. They didn't stay long, and Kyrra was the first one done, checked out and everything in a new outfit, comfortable blue jeans, a black t-shirt that allowed her more…feminine form to be noticed enough to not be called a boy, and a studded belt. A boy's one, of course. The girls belts all looked like knock-offs on designer belts of fashion designers she couldn't pronounce. Her hair was once again hidden under her stolen black cap.

"You paid for all that stuff, right?" Sally asked, eyeing Kyrra's bags. Kyrra grinned wolfishly, handing the woman her receipt. Everything was accounted for. Well, except for the lighter she had in her pocket, out of its package. But no one needed to know about that, right?

Climbing back into the Prius sucked. Kyrra hated cars, especially riding in them. One couldn't escape from a moving vehicle very well, not without a ton of injuries.

The rest of the journey to New York was pretty much silent. Paul and Sally tried asking her questions about her past, but Kyrra refused to answer most of them. After the camp, which she learned ran all summer, she'd be out of their lives. Leaving them with a good story, of course, and taking that bracelet. She _wanted_ it now, since it had been denied to her. Thief mentality.

It wasn't too terrible a drive, but at last the car stopped at their destination. Everyone got out, and Kyrra hung back as Percy said goodbye to his mother and step-father. No one approached her, and she was just fine with that.

At last, it was time. There was a small walk, to the base of a hill. On the top of the hill was a tree, with something gold hanging from its branches. Around the tree was some sort of metal pile, she couldn't tell from there. But, as she closed in on it, she noticed something. The metal pile was in the shape of a dragon. And it was _breathing_.

"What is that thing?" She asked, pointing to the automaton dragon. Percy looked to where she pointed, grinning.

"Peleus. He guards the Fleece." Percy said fondly, pointing to the thing hanging in the tree.

"The Fleece? Like, Jason's Golden Fleece?" Kyrra asked skeptically. What a weird thing to have, she thought. Must be a Greek camp.

"Exactly! Are you sure you don't know anything about the demigods?" Percy asked as they neared the metal sculpture. Kyrra shook her head, turning back to glance at the tree, the fleece blowing in the slight wind. She glanced at the dragon statue again, and then stopped to stare. One of its eyes were open, seeming to be watching the two of them.

"Is it motion activated?" She asked, inclining her head to the "dragon." Percy stopped as well.

"He probably was wondering what was going on. He shouldn't bother us." Percy said, but even as he said it, the dragon lifted his head, moving it closer to the girl. She didn't look frightened though, just curious.

"Is it remote-controlled?" Kyrra asked. It was probably a prank, to get her to scream or faint or something. Even as it moved, she stood her ground. It was a very good dragon; she couldn't see any flaws with it. The breathing was nice and even, sinking in at all the right places to make it look scarily life-like. Someone knew what they were doing, that was for sure.

She smiled, even as the dragon breathed into her face with a breath that smelled too real, that held real moisture. Her eyes widened. The dragon blinked. Kyrra nearly jumped out of her skin, running down the hill, glad the dragon wasn't chasing her.

Percy followed. What was that? She had seemed fine with the dragon, then she just freaked. He thought about it, then groaned. She had thought Peleus was an automaton, something man-made. No wonder she had panicked. Damn.

"Come back, its okay. Peleus won't hurt you." He said soothingly. Kyrra was shaking, but glared at him when he tried to come within 5 feet of her.

"That's a dragon." Kyrra said angrily.

Percy lifted a black brow. "He won't hurt you, Kyrra."

"That's a fucking dragon! They're not real!" She exploded, and began to pace furiously. They waited it out, until she was calmer. Once she stopped pacing, Percy slowly approached.

"The 'fucking' dragon's on our side. Now, let's go. You're going to get a lot more shock than this." He said, then walked her back up the hill.

A/N: Well, what do you think? Poor Kyrra, she's about to see a lot more "fucking" things. Like pegasi. A centaur. Satyrs. And one pissed-off God. What do you think so far? Review, it'll make me more willing to write.


	4. Chapter Three: Train Wreck and a Pen

A/N: Thank you, to those who put me on their alert list! Here's the new chapter of Stone Embrace, Kyrra meets Mr. D. Well….um, yeah. Enjoy this short chapter!

Stone Embrace- Chapter Three

Train Wreck Outfit and A Silver Pen

What kind of camp had an instructional video for fighting monsters? Real monsters? Kyrra was wondering the same thing as she stared up at Chiron, a half-horse man. A _centaur, _she corrected herself. A fucking centaur in the middle of some drugged-up camp on Long Island. Because that was the only way to explain this; everyone there was drugged up. There must be some gas cloud, or someone had been smoking too many 'shrooms for this to be right.

"Where's the camera?" Kyrra asked, crossing her arms over her chest. That was a second solution; she was on one of those reality shows. It was a possibility, but how could they fake the dragon?

"Camera? I'm afraid I'm not following you, Miss Stone." The horse-man, _centaur, _said, a puzzled look on his face.

"She doesn't believe any of this is real, Sir." Percy said from behind Kyrra. He was sitting down on the couch, the one Kyrra refused to sit on. She wanted to stand, in case she could make a break for it.

"Oh, I see. Well, maybe if Mr. D tried talking to her? It is his job, here." Chiron was now talking over Kyrra, something she didn't like. If this was her illusion, she wanted it to give her its full attention. Why would I have centaurs and dragons in my head, like some fantasy world? Kyrra thought. Who dreams of dragons, anyways? Fuck-scary beasts once you're confronted with one.

"What about me?" A male voice sounded from the middle of the room. Kyrra sighed and sat down on the couch. It was going to be a long day if she kept having the hallucinations that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Mr. D, this is Kyrra Stone. She's one of those demigods who go in denial." Chiron said, and a man appeared where the voice had come from, right in the middle of the room. He looked wild, with some plant life in his hair, and the weirdest track suit Kyrra had ever seen on. She had to turn a laugh into a cough, which granted her a glare from Mr. D.

"Is there something you find funny, Christine Sanders?" Mr. D asked, his tone low. Kyrra looked up at him, pure humor in her eyes. She didn't even have to hide her snort of laughter now.

"Mr. D, huh? What's it short for?" Kyrra asked, and chuckled. She didn't even care that he hadn't even gotten close to saying her name right, it didn't matter. She really hadn't heard him, either. His outfit was just too eye-catching. Like a train wreck, you couldn't look away.

"Dionysus, for your information. Now stop your laughing, or you might find yourself in a very bad position." He looked pissed now. Kyrra lifted an eyebrow, ignoring the look. If you were going to dress like that, you were going to get a lot of smart-ass comments.

"Oh, so you're supposed to be the God of Madness, I see. So, what, you run this place? Because there seems to be a lot of insanity going on, your outfit the least one." Kyrra said, leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, I think I should get Kyrra to the Hermes cabin." Percy said, jumping to his feet. Kyrra, however, ignored him, and so did Mr. D. They stared at each other, her with a smirk on his face, him with a scowl. There were a few tense minutes, and then Mr. D grinned.

"Welcome to camp, Katrina Smallwood." He said, then was gone, only a lingering scent of grapes in the air. Kyrra popped her neck, then her knuckles, making the hair on the back of Percy's neck stand on end.

"Hermes cabin? Why there? I thought the cabins were designed for whoever the parent was. I have no parent, remember? I don't belong here." Kyrra said, looking up at Percy through her bangs. She gave him a condescending look, then focused her attention away, at the wall. There were some cool paintings, of Greek monsters and what looked like teenagers slaying them. There was a goat-boy or too, as well.

"Before, all the unclaimed lived in the Hermes cabin. You'll just have to go there until we figure out what to do with you." Chiron said, reminding Kyrra that he was still in the room. She was proud of herself, though, when she didn't jump. She had trained herself not to jump; showing weakness on the street was a good way to end up dead.

"Hermes cabin. Sure, why not?" Kyrra muttered to herself, standing.

The cabin was in complete disarray, as usual. Kyrra took one look around, frowned, and turned to give Percy a look that clearly said, "really"? He shrugged and began making his way into the cabin, towards one of the back corners. Kyrra's shopping bags were in her hands, throwing her off balance a bit as she tried to avoid as much of the dirty clothes on the floor as possible.

"Hermes kids are messy by nature, you'll have to deal. Hide your stuff well, too. Anything of value should be gone in a matter of hours if left alone." Percy said as Kyrra set her stuff down on the bed he pointed out. He had something in his hands, something orange, and he held it out now.

It was an orange shirt, a little big for her, and in black letters across the front it had the words 'Camp Half-Blood' in block script. Kyrra looked at the shirt, looked at him, and looked back at the shirt again. "I'm not wearing that."

"Why not? Everyone does." Percy looked puzzled, but Kyrra just kept shaking her head.

"It's not even close to anything I'd wear. If I have to be walking around in that for the next three months, I'm going to damn well make sure I like it." Kyrra demanded, then began digging through her new clothes, finding a dark blue shirt. She looked around the dirty floor, found a silver marker, and quickly scrawled "Camp Half-Blood" on the front of the shirt in a curling font. "I will wear this."

Percy looked at the hand-made shirt in Kyrra's grip before nodding. He turned around, allowing her to change shirts quickly, with minimal skin showing. Her bra almost matched the shirt in color, so she wouldn't have to worry about it showing through.

"We ready?" Kyrra asked Percy when she was done. He looked over his shoulder at her.

"For what?"

"Show me around. You're my official guide to the world of Half-Blood." Kyrra replied, smirking.

"Oh, so you believe us, now?" He asked, lifting a black brow.

"Sure. Dragons, Gods, and a horse-man. Why not?"

A/N: So, thank you for all those who have put me on their alert list, again. I'm hoping to have the next chapter up by Wednesday, or perhaps Thursday. Friday at the latest, today being Monday. If you keep showing me love, maybe reviewing, I'd write even sooner than that….(Hint, hint, lol). Well, happy reading!


	5. Chapter Four: Death Kid and Condoms

A/N: Well, chapter four is here! Aren't we all excited? A lot of chapter three and four isn't really important, just giving you guys a feel for Kyrra and how she reacts around everyone. I also wanted to give you a bit of the layout of what the new Camp Half-Blood looks like. There's still the Circle of the Big 12, then the Dark Circle, Light Circle, and then the other groups. The names I came up with myself, I thought it was funny. Anyways! Read on!

Stone Embrace – Chapter Four

Death Kid and Condoms

Kyrra sat with her legs folded up on one of the fallen stumps in the forest. At her feet was a bow, a quiver of arrows were strapped on her back, and she even had a celestial bronze dagger in a small sheath against her right leg. It had been almost two weeks since arriving at Camp Half-Blood, and it was clear she wasn't fitting in. Her cabin mates, all half-siblings, knew she was an outsider, an "undetermined", and it threw everyone off. She wasn't particularly skilled with any of the weapons, and she refused to even step inside the forge. She enjoyed riding the pegasi, until Percy had told her he could talk to them. After that, she avoided the stables.

To say she wasn't having a good time would be wrong. She _was_ enjoying herself, sometimes. She loved the freedom of the camp, and learning talents she could use later in life. Some of the things she was still wary about, like knowing ancient Greek. There also was the small detail of being half God.

She still didn't believe she was, but Mr. D, the camp director, did, and one usually did not question a God on these types of things. Her being undetermined caused stress, she saw it. People would point when they thought she wasn't looking, and whisper. Sometimes, when she'd walk into a room, or into the practice arena, everyone went dead silent, as if they were all discussing her.

Only a few people hadn't done it yet: the weird Hades kid, Nico Di Angelo, a daughter of Ares by the name of Clarisse, and most of the Hecate, Erebus, and Selene kids. Most of the children of the Darker Gods kept to themselves. Their cabins were further away from the others, back more, to form their own circle of sorts. In that particular circle were the Hades, Erebus, Nemesis, Selene, Nyx, Hecate, and Thanatos. The main circle held the Big 12, though two cabins were always empty: Hera's and Artemis'.

Percy was the only one in the Poseidon cabin, and a punky girl named Thalia was the only resident of the Zeus cabin. She was technically a Huntress of Artemis, but she'd come home for a little bit of relaxation before missions. Or, that was what Kyrra learned from her fellow demigods. Most of them were notorious gossipers, she learned.

Kyrra also met Annabeth, Percy's girlfriend. The blonde was a daughter of Athena, and seemed to analyze Kyrra with a cold, calculating gaze. She didn't like the girl, but it was really none of her business. Who other people dated was their own issues, she thought.

Grover was nice, however. He was a Satyr, half-goat. He was a little crazy, and nervous, munching on tin cans the whole time. Apparently, he was on this council for the Satyrs, trying to bring back the wildlife. Kyrra honestly didn't think it'd work, but more power to the guy.

Branches crackled and twigs snapped, tearing Kyrra out of her thoughts. She tensed and knocked an arrow into her bow, aiming towards the sound. She wasn't a particularly good shot, but she had learned to be alert in the forest. There were creatures everywhere, very few of them friendly.

"You can relax, it's just me." A calm, cool voice said, and a black-haired boy stepped out of the foliage, brushing leaves off his shoulders. He put his hands in his pockets and slouched slightly, leaning against a tree. Kyrra watched him apprehensively for a bit before lowering her bow, drawing it back and removing the arrow. She had learned the very first day not to shoot a fellow demigod. They weren't impervious, it seemed.

She and the demigod boy regarded each other in silent contemplation. He was a skinny boy, younger than her, but nothing special. She knew him, if by name only, to be Nico di Angelo, the Hades boy. They hadn't really talked before, but she wasn't afraid of him as some people were.

"You're that Underworld kid." Kyrra said at last, just to break the silence. Nico looked up at her, lifting one of his eyebrows. She lifted one of her own in response, smirking.

"Yeah. You're that undetermined girl." Nico responded. Kyrra chuckled and shrugged, looking away.

"Guess I am. Don't know why that bothers so many people, but it's almost comical the way people act around me." Kyrra said, shaking her head. She balanced the bow against the stump and stood, taking out her lighter. She began flicking it on and off, pacing.

"Can't sit still even for a moment, can you?" Nico asked. His voice, however, didn't match his words. He always spoke with this cool, unemotional tone that said it didn't matter what anyone said, he still wasn't interested.

"ADHD, remember?" Kyrra replied flippantly, then smiled at her own corny joke. Apparently, Nico had caught it too, because he gave his own snort of humor.

"That was pretty stupid, you know."

"I know. But I wanted to see if I could crack that tough-guy façade. You don't have to be an adult all your life, you know. Smile every once in a while, your face won't fall off. If it does, you can sue me." Kyrra said, jutting out her chin obstinately.

"You should talk. Everything you do, it seems like you're getting ready for war. No one's going to attack you every five seconds." Nico crossed his arms over his chest, widening his stance into one of defiance. Cool defiance, icy somehow.

"Well, what do you expect? Growing up on the streets will do that to a person, kiddo." Kyrra said, then clenched her jaw. She hadn't meant to tell him that last bit. She sighed and stood, before he could start asking questions, or give her any pitying glances. She hit the trees before he had even opened his mouth, and disappeared into its shadowy canopy.

The cabin was mostly empty when Kyrra finally got there. Messy, as usual, there seemed to be more clothes cluttering the floor than usual. Kyrra's stuff was all nice under her bunk, organized and everything. The orange Camp Half-Blood shirt was still stuffed under the bed in one corner, gathering dust. She'd never wear if she had a choice, and preferred her own hand-made ones. Almost 70% of her shirts now had the camp name on it, or even just the initials.

"Don't get comfortable. We're all being called to the pavilion, and I wouldn't be late if I were you. Mr. D wants us all there." A voice called as the door opened. Kyrra looked up at the doorway to see Travis and Conner Stoll standing there, brunette head ducked together.

Kyrra stood and approached the two boys. They were the leaders of the Hermes cabin, twins, and the two biggest troublemakers of the place. She got along fine with them, as long as she wasn't on the receiving end of one of their pranks. They tried filling up her shoes with shaving cream, the second night she'd arrived, but they quickly learned not to mess with her, after she'd threatened to do worse to them. Now, they called upon her for some of their pranks, mainly if they needed a lock picked. Kyrra seemed to be the only one in camp who could pick any lock.

"Whatever." Kyrra growled, shoving past the twins. She wasn't mad at them, but at the fact that she seemed to not be able to find one moments peace since she arrived at camp.

As soon as she was far enough away from the pestering twins, Kyrra pulled out two identical black wallets and began ruffling through them. Driver's license, a little money, some change, condoms; the usual things you'd find in a guy's wallet. Kyrra sighed and pocketed the wallets again. Travis and Conner would get them back eventually.

A/N: Thank you for reading, and a big thanks to those who put this on your favorites and author alerts! It means a lot to me knowing people out there are reading! And about the condoms, I haven't met a guy yet who didn't have at least one in his wallet. I thought it'd be funny, too, to add Kyrra stealing from two Hermes kids, since….you know. Hermes, God of Thieves….And NO! Kyrra isn't a daughter of Hermes; it's a different reason why she's so talented at breaking and entering, and thievery. I want to hear your guesses as to who her Godly parent is! Chapter 5 should be up…..Friday? Maybe Saturday. Hell, even as early as tomorrow!


	6. Chapter Five: Quests and Knowing

A/N: Well, I did update two days in a row! I'm so proud of myself. Thanks to all my readers, who really inspire me to keep going along with this thing. This chapter is slightly more important than the other two; it's the beginning of Kyrra's interest in the camp. Well, read on and enjoy!

Stone Embrace – Chapter 5

Quests and Knowing

Mr. D stood in front of the gathered campers, at the head table. The pavilion was packed with kids from all ages, and Kyrra felt cramped and uncomfortable between a 7 year old with crumbs on her face and an 18 year old who dwarfed her by at least a foot. She couldn't move in either direction without bumping into either of them, so she had to stop fidgeting and hold still. It nearly drove her insane.

"We are here to welcome back, unfortunately, two campers who have just returned from a quest. They didn't die, obviously, so celebrate, yada yada yada, blah blah blah. Congratulations, little brats." Mr. D then sat down, and three half-bloods stood up. The whole pavilion broke out in applause, and Kyrra clapped along with them mechanically.

A quest, eh? So, people did leave this camp, she thought to herself. She'd been going stir-crazy at this place; people always seemed to be around, no matter where she went. Getting out of the camp for some much needed alone time would do her some good, she decided.

"Hey, Percy." Kyrra called after the boy. Dinner was over, and everyone was making their way back to their cabins, but she had to talk to him, only for a minute. Her plan on getting herself on a quest was already set in motion, at least in her head. She just needed a bit more information first.

"Oh, Kyrra. I didn't really expect to see you, all the commotion from the quest…." He said, scratching the back of the head. He looked over Kyrra's shoulder for an instant, and she turned. Annabeth was waiting, in the shadows of the Athena cabin, watching them.

Kyrra smirked, turning back to the male demigod, who's neck and ears were turning red in embarrassment. She just shook her head and laughed. "Am I interrupting your time with your little girlfriend?"

"What did you want to talk about?" Percy asked suddenly, and Kyrra gave another short laugh. Changing the subject, are we? She thought, but decided to take pity on him and let him get back to Annabeth.

"Quests. What's all that about?" She asked, deciding to get right to the point.

"Campers go on quests, to do different things. You need the Oracle, Rachel Dare, to give you a prophecy, but then you're able to go. Why? Were you thinking of going on one? They'd probably not let you go alone, since you're so inexperienced." Percy explained. Kyrra's eye twitched, just a bit.

"They wouldn't let me go alone? I've been living in New York, on the fucking streets. How much tougher do I have to be to prove myself?" She asked angrily. Percy just shrugged, now openly staring at Annabeth behind her.

Kyrra gave an angry growl and stalked off, leaving Percy to his lass. She didn't want to go back to the Hermes cabin; no doubt the Stoll brothers would have figured out who had stolen their wallets, and some prank would be waiting for her if she returned. So, having no other place to go, she headed to the forest.

It was dark, secluded, and completely empty. Kyrra sat down on a boulder by the edge of a stream, her knees drawn to her chest. She sighed heavily, her chin resting on her knees. There was a break in the canopy here, and she could look up, seeing the moon and stars shining above.

The night sky had always calmed her, and she had never been one of the children who were afraid of the dark. In fact, one of her favorite things to do as a kid was make a fort, as dark as possible, and pretend she was off on some faraway planet, with no sun.

Now, with the pitch black forest pressed against her, she felt like she truly was somewhere else. Only, where she was, she didn't truly belong. If she was a demigod, which she highly doubted at that point, why was she undetermined? She knew about the pact the Gods had made, so why was she alone the only kid who had to be ignored?

Kyrra looked up at the night sky, closed her eyes, and prayed. It was something she had never done before, even when her mother was alive. It wasn't to 'God' she was praying to, either, but to whichever parent was hers. "Please….I just want to know." She whispered into the night, then held her breath.

Nothing happened. No shimmering, no symbol above her head, nothing. Kyrra sighed, flipping her hair out of her eyes. Not that she expected much, but still. She sighed again, standing. Her reflection looked back up at her as she leaned over the creek, her expression happy, hair flying wildly in the wind. She tried to catch it, but only managed to tangle it more.

Grabbing two thick handfuls of her own hair, Kyrra got an idea. Letting one chunk of hair go, she reached into her sheath for her short dagger, carefully sliding it out. She held it against her hair, watching her actions in the creek, and cut. A lock of hair fell onto the ground, a piece of red against the gray of the rocks.

"Wow….Kyrra…that hair is certainly…interesting." Annabeth and Percy were standing in front of Kyrra, clipboard in hand. Apparently, the cabins were checked with cleanliness, and the losers had to wash dishes, or armor, or something. The Hermes cabin usually lost, but she refused to have to do menial labor while at camp, and made sure the cabin was clean. If clothes were just lying around, they got dumped in the nearest trash can, lake, stable, and even, one guy's boxer shorts, into the Aphrodite cabin.

Kyrra ran her fingers through her newly-cut hair, the strands just a tiny bit uneven. She had found a pair of scissors to straighten everything better, but her bangs were still a bit messy. Also, she had bartered some hair dye off one of the Aphrodite girls, for a custom designed camp shirt. Now, her bangs were a deep coal black, while the rest of her hair remained its usual ruby red color.

"Needed a change. So, cabin clean?" Kyrra asked, slouching against the doorframe. She noticed, with glee, that she was a few inches taller than the Athena girl, which made the blonde have to look up at her.

"Actually, yes. How did you whip those Hermes kids into shape?" Percy asked curiously. Kyrra laughed and shook her head.

"Never going to tell you, Aqua." She told him.

"Aqua?" Annabeth asked, lifting her brows at the dark demigod.

"Yeah, smartass. You got anything better?" Kyrra straightened a bit, and smiled when she saw the girl gulp, just a tiny movement in her throat.

"She calls me Seaweed Brain." Percy interjected, and Kyrra looked away, down at the floor of the cabin. She didn't know why she hated Athena so much, only that the girl…bugged her.

"Well, we'd better go, Percy. Other cabins to inspect." Annabeth said, and she and Percy disappeared, leaving Kyrra alone in the doorway. She shook her head, almost missing the long curtain of hair that would have moved with the motion, but pushed the thought back. The change was supposed to be good for her, but all Kyrra felt was regret. For her hair, her life on the streets, her theft….for a lot of things.

Kyrra looked up at the sky, into the daylight this time. "I just want to know." She whispered for the second time.

A/N: Thanks again for reading, and adding me to your lists! And no. Kyrra doesn't like Percy. And I haven't really thought of reasons why she hates Annabeth….But….I guess I really didn't like Annabeth, so my character gets that from me? Well! I'm hoping, cross my fingers, to post another chapter today! But only if I have time, so…wish me luck!


	7. Chapter Six: RED, People, and Strangers

A/N: Well, two chapters in one day! I'm so proud of myself! I hope you like this, I enjoyed writing it. I love getting to write about Kyrra's pissed off mood. Aaand I still haven't thought of any real reasons why she'd hate Annabeth….so…yeah. And um…that's all I have to say. READ ON!

Stone Embrace – Chapter Six

R.E.D Prophecy, Stupid People, and Strangers

"You want to go on a quest?" Chiron asked Kyrra, peering down at the girl. She looked down at him, in his wheelchair form, arms crossed over her chest boldly. Mr. D wasn't in the room, the living room of the Big House, and for that she was grateful. The wine god and her often disagreed, on any possible subject. It was clear she wasn't his daughter, just as it was clear she wasn't meant to be in the Hermes cabin.

"Yeah. I want to find out who my parent is, get claimed, or get out of this camp." Kyrra told the horse-man bluntly. He shook his head at the girl, at her fiery determination. She was so stubborn, it was almost comical sometimes.

"It doesn't work like that, Kyrra. No one can tell the Gods what to do." Chiron said in a comforting voice. Kyrra shook her head, her blue eyes alight with fury.

"So it's fine for them to just abandon me? Treat me like I'm no one special?" She demanded to know, her jaw clenching. She unfolded her arms and began to pace, her hand going for the lighter in her pocket.

"I know you're mad, but you need to calm down. Getting angry won't solve anything." Chiron continued in that soothing voice, but Kyrra ignored him, still pacing furiously across the room. She coaxed the lighter to flame, shut it off, then lit it again.

At last, Kyrra's anger had burned off. She sat down on the couch, the lighter returning to her pocket. She looked up at Chiron, who was waiting patiently for her to speak. "I've been here for a month, Chiron. A month. I think I can handle a quest."

"I know you think you're up to it, but it's dangerous out there. I'm not about to send an inexperienced camper out to fight Gods know what." Chiron's voice held a tone of finality, but Kyrra shook her head, tossing the lighter from hand to hand.

"Let me ask the Oracle. Let me ask, and then you can say no." Kyrra said, a last hope. Her voice was calmer, and she even had enough control to look up pleadingly at the centaur, who sighed heavily. After a moment of deliberation, Chiron nodded.

"Ask Rachel." Chiron said, and Kyrra nodded, standing up slowly. She had gotten word from one of the other Hermes cabin mates where the Oracle was, so she had no problem making her way through the Big House to an art studio, facing north, naturally.

"You're here, finally. You take forever." A female voice called from behind the easel. Kyrra slowly approached the artist sitting there, paint spread out in front of her as she looked at her canvas with a practiced eye. Kyrra glanced at the painting, and froze. It was a very good likeness of her, in the doorway of the art studio, new hair and everything.

"You're the Oracle?" Kyrra asked dubiously. The redhead artist nodded and added another brushstroke to her painting, adding a bit more black in the painted Kyrra's bangs. Kyrra watched all this with slight interest, leaning over the other woman's shoulder.

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare, and yes, that really is my name. So, you want a prophecy, eh?" The redhead asked, and Kyrra nodded, taking a step back. Rachel twisted on her stool and faced the other girl. Both faced each other with serious expressions, but finally Rachel cracked, laughing. "I'm not sending you to your death, you know."

"I would if you'd just…do your thing." Kyrra suggested, and Rachel sighed huffily, closing her eyes. They waited in silence for a few minutes, then Rachel's eyes opened, glowing an eerie yellow-green color.

"_Six must go, three connected by past bond__**s**_

_Two connected through undoing a wrong_

_Two yet are strangers, sons of Shadow and Witchblood_

_To the land of the beginning, the start of the streets_

_An new foe, a new life you shall meet. "_

Rachel's eyes faded back to normal, examining Kyrra, who was staring with wide eyes at the redhead, hands balled into fists at her side. "Did you get all that?"

Kyrra nodded and recited it back, shaking her head. "Your math sucks. I counted seven, not six. Three connected from the past, two through wrongs, two strangers from shadow and…witchblood deities." Kyrra said with upraised eyebrows.

"Maybe two cross over? The two strangers, who sound like sons of Erebus, and…the witchblood one is throwing me off. Nyx, maybe, or Hecate? So, you need to find three who are connected from the past, who somehow ties into you." Rachel explained. Kyrra shook her head.

"Remind me never to ask for a quest again." She said before making her way back into the living room, where Chiron was still waiting

"That is one of the more confusing prophecies I've ever heard." Percy muttered, shaking his head. He, Annabeth, Kyrra, Rachel, Chiron, and the other campers were gathered around the ping pong table in the game room, discussing the things Rachel the Oracle had said.

"Hey, don't look at me. I just spout all the mumbo jumbo." Rachel said, holding her hands out in front of her chest in a blocking motion, palms up.

"You can't count." Travis said, and Connor chuckled in mirth. Kyrra muttered that she already pointed that out, but no one was really listening to her anymore. They were waiting for the horse-man to speak.

"We at least know where to start. A son of Erebus, and a son of Hecate will accompany Kyrra and the other three." Chiron said, and everyone nodded in agreement, turning to the two leaders of the Erebus and Hecate cabin.

The Erebus leader was a cold faced teen with sharp black eyes and a pale complexion, while the Hecate leader was female, with skin the color of coffee. Her hair fell long and straight down her back in a thick wave.

"I can't leave my cabin." The Erebus boy said.

"Then pick someone to go. I'm already thinking about who I'm sending. You should be getting prepared, Kyl." The leader from the Hecate cabin murmured. The two shared a glance, then looked at Kyrra. "Why would you need them, anyways?"

"I don't know." Kyrra replied angrily. None of it made any sense to her; all she wanted was to be alone, not drag five people along with her. Now, she'd be trucking around to gods-know-where with half a dozen people, at least two of them complete strangers, and male.

"Who are the other three?" Percy asked. Kyrra turned her attention to him now, noticing his position, between Annabeth and Nico. She groaned, rubbing her temples.

"Percy." She growled out. He looked at her, clueless, but Chiron seemed to get the idea, because he focused on the three.

"Percy, you, Annabeth, and Nico, are the three." He stated, and Kyrra groaned again.

Perfect. Just fucking perfect.

Okay, you don't have to say it. That prophecy sucked. And YES, I can add! Percy is the double, he's connected to Annabeth and Nico through…well, R.R's actual story, and with Kyrra through…her breaking in and such. The two strange boys…well, I love the dark side, and they're going with the sons of Death, Shadow, and Darkness (Also Witches. Hecate has a lot of things). So, yeah. And I feel so bad, Kyrra's the only other girl besides Annabeth, who she can't stand. I should have thought that out better….Ah, well! Thanks so much, for reading, see you next time! Next chapter should be….Monday? Maybe sooner, but I highly doubt it, sorry!


	8. Chapter Seven: Alexander and Warnings

A/N: I know, another short chapter. This one actually is needed, though it may not seem like it. Um…I got my first review! So, thank you, Chosen Hero, for being my first review. Since you were the first one, this chapter is dedicated to you….Um. Yeah. I know it doesn't mean much, but, it's my way of saying thank you. And thank you to all my readers! Well…read on?

Stone Embrace – Chapter Seven

Alexander and Warnings

Kyrra looked among her belongings, wondering what to take. The camp had provided her with a backpack, which was lying open on her bed, empty. Her clothes were folded neatly, ready to be packed, but there were a few things she needed to decide, first.

There were three piles, besides her clothes. Weapons, items she had stolen living on the streets, and things from her childhood. Out of the piles, the weapons were the biggest, but she had already decided on packing all of them. Who knew what one would need on a quest when monsters were involved? She doubted there'd be a guidebook for that. So, the dagger went into a side pocket while a slightly bigger knife went into the main pouch, leaving the bow, which she turned into its 'mist' form, merely tiny charms she could clip onto her bag.

The pile of stolen items was the next biggest, and held the lighter, the black hat, the Stoll brothers' wallets, a lock picking set, and other odds and ends. Of that pile, she kept the lock picking set, the hat, and the lighter. The wallets she carelessly tossed onto the brothers' beds. They'd find them later, she supposed. It wasn't that big on her worries list.

The smallest pile only contained a small crystal from her mother before she died, on a gold chain from her father. It was the only thing they'd ever given her together, and she'd always had it. Kyrra picked it up now, clasping it around her neck. It hung just below her clavicles, not too high, but not in danger of getting stuck in her cleavage, either.

"You never would have guessed…" she whispered to herself, the necklace tight in her grasp. She stood there for an instant, just draining in everything that had happened, not just in the past month, but since her mother had died. She'd been a druggie, a runaway, a thief, and, now, a demigod. Life sure had its twists and turns.

Kyrra let go of her necklace, swiped the rest of her possessions into a bin that she stashed under the bed, stuffed the clothes into the backpack, and left the Hermes Cabin far behind.

Kyrra paced on the front porch of the Big House, keeping one eye on the brooding Hecate boy who had a cigarette dangling from his lips, unlit. Chiron was in his human form, wheelchair and everything, trying to control the crowd. Apparently, Mr. D wasn't happy with the choices and wanted to keep at least two of the demigods at camp. Kyrra secretly wished he'd win, and they' be able to leave Percy and Annabeth. Nico, she didn't mind too much, and the strangers were just that to her. Strangers.

"Damn it, where are the others?" The Hecate boy growled out.

"Language, please, Dominic." Chiron scolded. Dominic just smirked and shook his head, chewing on the end of his smoke. Kyrra wrinkled her nose and moved her pacing a few steps to give him a wider birth. She wasn't innocent, she knew, but she'd worked hard to stay clean, and she didn't want some druggie coming along with her and screwing that all up.

"Get rid of it." She said at last, stopping her pacing. The Hecate boy regarded her with curious green eyes, filled with silent laughter, before drawing the cig out of his mouth and flicking it at her. She grimaced in distaste as it hit her shirt and fell onto the wooden slats of the porch.

"Dominic. Stop being an ass." Nico said, coming up the wide steps. Dominic kept his obnoxious smirk up, not even bothering to pretend to look contrite.

"We're going to stand around forever until that girl is ready." Kyrra muttered, and Dominic laughed. She looked up at him and gave him a quick glare before taking a golden drachma out of her pocket, flipping it into the air.

"Annabeth is not that girly. As a daughter of Athena, she's pretty practical." Nico said. Kyrra didn't bother replying, concentrating instead on the coin she was flipping.

After a good ten minutes, Percy and Annabeth arrived, packs in hand. Mr. D and Chiron had stopped their fight, and the only one they were waiting for was the Erebus boy, who still hadn't made an appearance.

"I'm leaving without him." Kyrra said at last, walking down the porch. "The rest of you can wait, but I've had enough."

"Oh, don't get your panties in a bunch. I'm here, ain't I?" A male voice called from the other direction and Kyrra turned to see an older boy headed their way, grimacing.

The Erebus boy wasn't very tall, only a few inches taller than Kyrra, but well muscled. His skin looked like that of a Gypsy, and he had a mess of wavy brown hair that was pulled back by a pony tail. The very tip ended just below his shoulder blades.

"That's Alexander." Nico said, but Kyrra shrugged.

"Let's go already." She said angrily, but Chiron called them back. She returned to the porch reluctantly. All of the waiting had really made her twitchy, and all she wanted to do was go. It didn't matter she didn't know a destination.

"Now, I don't know why so many of you are going, or where, but I want you all to be safe. Don't take any unnecessary risks, and don't get caught unawares. Your group is pretty large, so be extra careful, always vigilant. Argus will take you to the train station in New York, but once you get there, it's up to you to decide where to go." Chiron said gravely. Kyrra listened impatiently, fighting the urge to tap her foot. Percy and Annabeth hung onto every word, while the three boys just looked bored.

At last, everyone was climbing into one of the vans, Argus, a tall man with eyeballs covering his entire body behind the wheel. Kyrra was in the shotgun seat, with the others behind her. Kitty cornered was Nico, but directly behind her was the Erebus kid, Dominic, and she felt unnerved. She didn't trust him enough to have him at her back.

"Train station, if you'd be so kind." Kyrra whispered to their driver, who merely nodded and began driving. She grinned in victory; finally, she was out of that place. Now, she had to concentrate on ditching her followers.

Ooh, Kyrra, what are you planning? ….Seriously, what is she planning? That last part kind of came to me, I didn't expect her to want to run away anymore. But! I still want to hear guesses for her godly parent! I want to see if I'm doing my job of keeping it a mystery, or if it's painfully obvious. So…um. Yeah. Review, please! And if you do, I might dedicate chapters, or add extra bonus chapters….So…yeah! Thanks for reading, thanks to all the people who've added me to their alerts and favorite stories!


	9. To My Dear Readers

To my dear readers:

I must beg your apology! I have neglected you all for….what, 3 months now? I ignored you, ignored this story, because I just didn't 'feel like' writing. It was irresponsible of me, and mean. Today, I got a review by someone called simply 'loves pj', and that person asked for my return, to write more of this story. I, of course, agree to that. I need to finish it, if simply just to say that I did it. I feel bad for ditching you all, without word or warning. I promise that I shall continue, with as much passion and thoughtfulness as I have before. I miss you, dear readers, I miss knowing that you enjoy this story, and reading your reviews, or knowing that you put me on your alert lists. You want me to continue to write, and I want to continue to write, so I will.  
The next chapter of Stone Embrace will be up soon, around 3-5 days, maybe more, maybe less, but not too long. And I will try to lengthen the chapters as well, since others have mentioned that before.  
Thank you again, my readers, for being so willing to put up with my absence for so long. I won't go on extended absences again, hopefully, but if I do…reviews are love, and I will answer their call! Ta-ta for now, and I'll see you soon ~ Cyn


	10. Chapter Eight: Go and See

A/N: I know, I know, I'm late! I'm sorry, you guys! I feel bad, but…this chapter was hard to write because I wrote the chapter title before I wrote the actual chapter…and, being as stubborn as I am, I didn't want to change the title, so…I'm sorry if this chapter is bad. I tried people. Wellll…..read on!

Stone Embrace

Chapter Eight: People to Go and Places to See

The drive was not very silent. Every ten miles someone had to go to the bathroom, or stop for some unknown reason. Kyrra gritted her teeth as the van stopped at the seventh gas station, climbing out to stretch her tense muscles. Annabeth and Nico were already rushing to the restrooms, urgent looks on their faces. Kyrra's eyes rolled. Tiny bladders, she mused. Annabeth had stopped at every single rest stop since the trip started, half an hour ago.

"You ever think that girl will run out of liquid in her body, and turn into a dried up husk?" A quiet voice asked from behind Kyrra. The girl turned to see Dominic sitting sideways, facing outwards with another unlit cig hanging from his upper lip. She made a face and lifted her eyebrows, and the male sighed, placing his addiction back into its original pack carefully.

"Annabeth? I sure hope so. If I hear her asking to make a plan of action one more time, I'm gonna see just how capable demigods are at handling blunt-forced traumas." Kyrra muttered. The Hecate boy laughed at her joke, rubbing his forehead, his eyes closed with glee. She snorted at his amusement. The joke wasn't that funny. Hell, she didn't really think it was a joke. If that Athena girl pushed too much, Kyrra had plans to make it a reality.

"She's a girl, leave her alone. Girls got to do what they got to do, after all." Percy called from behind Dominic, defending his girlfriend.

"I'm a girl, Aqualad. And I have to kill her if she makes us stop again." Kyrra replied. That sent Dominic in another fit of giggles. Another set of masculine laughter sounded as well, and Kyrra leaned forward, around the Hecate boy, to look at their last passenger.

Alexander had slept for much of the half hour journey, or had pretended to. The first thing he had done when settling into the van was stick in a couple of headphones, turn it up full blast, and close his eyes. Kyrra related to the music thing; back when she had an iPod, before it got stolen (ironic, no?) she would keep it in at night, playing all her favorite slow songs to lull her to sleep. Even now the thought of a whispering ballad in her ear brought forth a yawn from her throat.

"Time to trade positions yet? I'm tired of the backseat, and the luggage keeps bouncing into me." Alexander complained, unbuckling himself to sit in Nico's unoccupied seat between Percy and Dominic.

"Yeah, but you got the girl, even if she is a naggy…" Dominic trailed off then, glancing sideways at the red-eared Percy. I smirked, glad to know I wasn't the only one who found Annabeth annoying.

"Kyrra's a girl too, Dom, or have you not noticed?" Alexander asked, nudging the other male with his elbow. His eyes traveled said female's form, which glared and crossed her arms over her chest protectively, drawing her coat closer.

"I know she's a girl. How could you not, with those-" Kyrra swung her fist, catching the edge of Dominic's chin. His jaw cracked together painfully as she felt a slight pop in her pinky, her eyes watering painfully.

"Shut up, you pervs. Yes, I'm a girl. Yes, I have breasts. That does not mean you can discuss them like I'm some horse at auction." Kyrra growled out. Alexander was bent at the middle, clenching his stomach as he laughed while Dominic rubbed his sore jaw, wondering why women always got so pissed when you mentioned their boobs.

"How come you hit me and not Al?" Dominic asked, jerking his thumb at the other male. Kyrra shrugged and climbed back into her shotgun seat, giving the other men her back. She looked down at her hand, noticing that her pinky was bent slightly off. Grimacing, she gripped it and twisted, setting it back to being straight with a muffled yelp.

"Did you just re-set your own finger?" Percy asked, leaning over the back of Argus' seat. Said driver was gone somewhere, probably making a pit-stop for himself as well. Kyrra's eyebrows furrowed, wondering if he had eyes everywhere. That gave one-eyed snake a whole new meaning.

Hiding her warped humor, Kyrra turned her attention back to Percy, nodding. "It doesn't hurt at all, and I doubt it was an actual break. Stone head over here must have rocks for brains, with a titanium skull." Kyrra chuckled, twisting in her seat to stick her tongue out at Dominic, who was still massaging his tender jaw.

"Tough chick." Alexander said, but there was a hint of awe in it. Kyrra nodded, then sighed. She suddenly felt bad for sitting in the front while the others were shoved in the back practically with the luggage. It was an odd feeling, guilt. She barely recognized what it was, having lived guilt-free for so long. It almost scared her; if she was guilty about such a small thing, when would the real guilt set in, the one where she started feeling remorseful of all the stolen items.

Kyrra shook her head. Nonsense, she thought. Those items saved my life, they weren't taken on a whim. Mostly.

Still, Kyrra sat and stewed in her thoughts until the others came back. Then, she slid out of her cushy front seat. "Someone else can take shotgun. I'll slum back here with you commoners."

It ended with Nico getting shotgun, Percy, Annabeth , and Alex taking the center bench, and Dominic and Kyrra in the very back, luggage pressing at them from all sides.

"Six backpacks sure are more spacious than I remember them being." Kyrra muttered, arms crossed over her chest. Dominic snickered but never tore his eyes off the handheld gaming device in front of him. Tiny beeping sounds were emitted from it, and Kyrra leaned forward to watch him with interest. "Was that Mickey Mouse?"

Dominic spared a glance upward, smiling. "Have you never seen Kingdom Hearts before? What have you been doing, living under a rock for the past few years?" He asked, then suddenly, stopped talking, the rims of his ears turning red. Kyrra noticed and smirked, patting him on the shoulder condescendingly.

"Yes, Nicky, I have. Now what's Kingdom Hearts?" She asked quietly, returning her hand back to her side of the van.

"Think of it as Disney characters combined into one awesome game with Final Fantasy." Dominic explained, though he still didn't look up. He did, however, tilt the device closer to the curious girl, giving her enough of a view to get the basics of the game down.

"Hey, nerds, keep it down. I'm trying to sleep." Nico complained from the front seat, shifting his position into a more comfortable one.

"Oh, quit your whining Nico. You have the front seat, while us girls are shoved into the back." Annabeth quipped. Kyrra mentally cringed at being lumped together with Annabeth, even if it was true that they were both girls.

"That's another thing. I don't feel right, with two girls and four boys. We outnumber you." Nico went on, his voice slurred slightly with sleep.

"Don't fret, Death the Kid. Not everything has to be symmetrical." Dominic muttered, too engrossed in his game to come up with a better comeback. Kyrra lifted her eyebrows, confused, while Nico and Alexander chuckled. Percy and Annabeth remained just as confused as the tough demigod.

The group fell into a comfortable silence, then. Kyrra leaned back and let her mind wander. The first thoughts that came to her were about recent events, the comfortable bickering between her companions and herself, the quest she was on that made absolutely no sense to her. Ever since Rachel Elizabeth Dare had uttered those poetic words she had them emblazed into her memory. Those words, as she saw it, were a way into her future. The last bit about her new life proved it.

But what could that new life be? Obviously Kyrra would not be going back to thievery, if she could help it. Being around the demigods had changed her moral compass, just a bit. It certainly had affected her self-preservation. If a God thought she was a demigod, then a monster certainly would, and living on the streets were not ideal for monster fighting. They'd find her easier, and catch her now that her scent was on radar. Or, that was what Chiron thought. And Kyrra found it hard to argue with a thousand year old centaur.

"You got all quiet; it's unnerving. Aren't women supposed to chatter?" Dominic asked. Some time when she was lost in thought, he had put up his game and was now watching her curiously, eyebrows pulled down, the corners of his mouth tucked into a frown.

"Annabeth isn't talking." Kyrra pointed out.

"For once. But you got a serious look on your face. What's up, sugar?" The male asked, his gaze now drifting away from her face to safer areas, like the rest of the van.

"Nothin. Don't worry about it, cowboy, I'm a big girl. I've seen all there is to see on these streets, nothing ever fazes me." Kyrra said, her own gaze drifting around the vehicle. "I've seen everything, and almost have done everything, too."

"Can't have seen everything, darling, trust me. There are some places, like Olympus, you'll want to see, and others, like Tartarus, that you will never get to see." Dominic said quietly.

"Tartarus, huh? That exists too? Figures. If that's the Greek version of hell, then I know where I'm going. Stop the train, this passenger's on the wrong one. I've got a one way trip, bucko." Kyrra said calmly, ignoring his horrified expression. He probably thought she meant to never return from this quest. The truth was, she knew eventually she had to die. No one lived forever, and when it was time to go there was only one place for her, wasn't there? Maybe she would see everywhere.

A/N: Wow. Long van ride, no? I don't exactly know if it'd take this long, but don't even short car rides seem extremely long? And everyone has potty breaks at least once. And poor Nico and his small bladder…OH! I'm adding a new story on here, a fanfiction in the Morganville Vampires series. So..yeah. If you read the series, check it out.


	11. Chapter Nine: Traffic and Frying Pan

A/N: Hey there everyone. No, I didn't die some horrible death or anything like that. I just haven't written much as of late. This isn't as long as I would have liked it to be, but it worked out. And I didn't name it until AFTER I wrote it. ^.^ Well, enjoy!

2nd A/N: Okay, the reason why this chapter was SO LATE was because FF wasn't letting me update…otherwise you would have gotten this FOREVER ago. So…I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But all is fixed now, hopefully. So…yeah. Enjoy!

Stone Embrace

Chapter Nine: Out of Traffic and into the Frying Pan

"Finally! I swear, if we ever get stuck in traffic like that again, I'm walking." Nico di Angelo said, stepping out of the van for the last time. The others trailed behind him, stretching out sore legs and backs. Kyrra clasped her hands behind her and lifted until they were at about shoulder-length before dropping them down again, ignoring the look on the other's faces. She grinned and winked, grabbing her back and leaning against the side of the van, the picture of ease.

"So where to now?" She asked, cocking her head to the side. Argus was handing out the rest of the luggage, a hat covering his head, and the many eyes on his face. Kyrra knew that the Mist kept unsuspecting humans from seeing all of the unusual attributes of the Greek world, but how could it possibly hide all those eyes?

"You mean, you don't know? This is your quest you know; you're supposed to lead us." Annabeth said, lifting her blonde eyebrows in contempt. Kyrra stared at her for a long minute before shrugging her shoulders and drawing her lighter out of her pocket, flicking it on and off.

"This may be my quest, Miss Bossy, but that doesn't mean I know where to go. What was the prophecy again; maybe it'll ring a mystical bell." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the female. Out of all the other women at Camp Half-Blood, why did it have to be Annabeth? She thought she was so smart, just because her mother was Athena and she had some magical power to be smarter than everyone else, and a pain in the ass about it.

"You mean you don't remember? No wonder we're not getting anywhere, you take forever to decide simple things. You're quite frustrating, you know." Annabeth said, and it was Kyrra's turn to raise her brows, pushing off from the wall to approach the slightly shorter female.

"And you're a big pain in my ass that has a stick up yours. You don't like what I'm doing, fine. You lead the way, girlie. Perhaps you want to call you mother, go beg advice from her." Kyrra said her voice low and dark. Percy gave a cough then, and stepped in front of the two girls, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend's shoulder.

"Come on, ladies. We don't need to fight." Dominic said, placing his own arm around Kyrra's waist. "At least, not unless you're going to mud wrestle. Then we could sell tickets." He finished with a grin, and Kyrra elbowed him hard in the side, wrenching away from his arm.

"You pervert. Should we just send you back now if all you're going to contribute is mad ideas that we don't need right now?" Alexander asked, joining the conversation. He slouched by Kyrra, completely at ease. She met his gaze and he winked at her.

"Whatever, Al. You're just as perverted as I am in that little mind of yours." Dominic muttered, his ears bright red in embarrassment.

"Enough, enough. We need to get going, so stop your arguing, shut up, and let's go." Nico said, finally stepping in. He held his hands out, palms up, and stepped into the middle of the circle. "You're acting like a bunch of spoiled kids. I am not listening to this the entire time, so unless you want me to hit the smite button or something, shut the fuck up."

The crowd watched Nico with wide eyes, falling silent. The Death God had stayed out of the bickering the whole time they were at camp and on the road, and for him to join in now was shocking. Kyrra began smiling, and soon she was bent over, having hysterics. The whole group stared at her like she was insane, until they too had their own set of laughter.

"I blame the car ride." Kyrra said as she hoisted her backpack higher on her shoulders.

"I blame Dominic." Alexander suggested, and everyone turned to look at the son of Hecate. Before nodding in agreement.

"Fine, you're all haters." Dominic muttered, and then went into the train station. The other campers watched him go until the double doors blocked his view, then they turned back into their circle, ignoring the stares the other traingoers gave them.

"I'll go catch up with him. I need to pick where we're going anyways, right? Anyway, he can't have gotten lost yet, could he?" Kyrra said.

"I'll come. You might get into another fight with some poor old woman or a man trying to hold the door open for you. You have a wild temper, do you know that?" Alexander asked. Kyrra flipped him off, huffing, as she walked into the huge train station, the small crowd inside causing her skin to itch.

"Eh, whatever. If you're playing with the big boys you have to get mean with the big boys, and that's what I did." Kyrra said flippantly, as if she was talking about someone else's life and not her own. She shoved through the double doors without seeing if Alexander was following her or not and began searching for train times. Dominic could look after himself, after all. He was a big boy.

"You're a hard piece of work, Kyrra. If you won't let anyone in, no one can help you." Alexander said, right at her side. He didn't make any move to touch her, and his head was turned to the side, his tone casual. They could have been talking about the fucking weather.

"I don't want help. I can handle things on my own, so keep your mouth shut about me." She replied, looking at the destinations. None of them fit right for the prophecy that she had ingrained in her head, despite Annabeth's complete lack of faith in her.

"Any of these spark a memory for you?" Alexander asked, a complete subject change. He seemed willing enough to drop it as much as Kyrra did. "We've got Georgia, Montana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Washington D.C, Washington State…" He began listing off any that he saw.

"Washington? Is there one for Seattle?" Kyrra asked, her eyes widening as she looked harder at the board.

"Sure. Leaves in about 2 hours." Alexander supplied, pointing. Kyrra frowned and licked her suddenly dry lips, nodding. Seattle made sense, the place she started. Her father started selling drugs there before landing in jail, and for all she knew he was still rotting in that old apartment they used to live in. "Is that where we need to go?"

Kyrra nodded and turned away. She didn't want to ponder too long on about what was waiting for her in Seattle any more than she wanted to talk about her past. The location was set, now all they needed to do was find Dominic and the others. She began scouring the crowd for any hint of either the lone Hecate boy or the group of other campers, but none seemed to be in sight.

"Do you have a cell phone? We could always call them." She asked the quiet Shadow God, looking up at him. He met her gaze with amusement and shook his head.

"It's not really safe for us to have them. It basically lights us up like a beacon and draws any monster close. It's not something we want while you're still a rookie, you know." Alexander explained, and she rolled her eyes.

"Really? I'm not some poor little girl who doesn't know how to handle herself. I can damn well keep myself out of trouble and you should know this by now. I'm not just acting tough, you know." Kyrra railed, and then stopped abruptly when she saw Dominic waving them over. She smiled and waved back, until she noticed that he didn't look friendly. No, he looked almost afraid.

They hurried over to the waving male, who pointed down the hall. The others were there, fighting off a…giant lion? Kyrra turned to look at the two boys questioningly.

"That's the Nemean Lion. It's impervious except for its mouth and its claws, which can cut its own hide. Other than that, we're S.O.L. None of us are archers, so we'll have to get up close and personal with it." Dominic quickly explained. He closed his eyes and produced a pendant on a leather throng around his neck, a clay disk imprinted with symbols.

"I can shoot." Kyrra reminded him, touching the twin charms on her bag to turn them into their bow and quiver form. The quiver replaced her bag with on her shoulder while the bow she kept in a loose grip. Her eyes never left the lion as she talked.

"Do you think you can hit its mouth without shooting one of us in the process?" Alexander asked all business now. He drew from his pack a wicked looking dagger that had blades on either side with the handle in the middle, made of Stygian Iron. Kyrra eyed it hungrily before nodding. She did love a good weapon.

"I think I could. It might be tricky, but…you get it to open its mouth, I'll try." Kyrra answered, her senses immediately going battle-ready. Percy had once explained to her that her compulsive twitching was actually her acute senses always ready for battle. At times it was just plain annoying, like in class, but right now Kyrra sent a little thank you to the gods. They'd saved her life multiple times.

"Just shoot if you get an opening." Dominic called, already racing to join the fray, Alexander charging after him. Kyrra chuckled darkly and followed, eager. The monsters at the camp weren't a real threat, not like the lion. She could actually die from getting chomped in its massive jaws, and that almost excited her. What was fun without danger?

Percy and Nico had it distracted, using a stab and retreat method with their longer weapons while Annabeth with her knife would get in close and try to pierce its maw. Kyrra watched with roiled excitement, her limbs loose, as Alexander charged in, dealing a heavy blow with the tip of his special dagger, dragging it down the beast's flank with a loud screeching noise. The beast whirled around in fury and swept a mighty paw, knocking the teenager back.

Dominic interfered then, rubbing the disk and muttering something under his breath. A green glowing bubble circled Alexander as the lion tried to slash him up with his claws, the attack bouncing off harmlessly.

Nico and Percy drew its attention back to them, blades flashing as they tried piercing its hindquarters. Spinning around once more the lion lunged, actually jumping over the two men and moving closer to Annabeth. She paled but brandished her knife, ready to jump into the battle.

Being good at close-quarters, knives weren't the best to fend off a huge Greek monster. Without really concentrating Kyrra had an arrow notched and loose, clanging off the great beast's side. It turned angry amber eyes to her before slinking down, belly low to the ground. It meant to charge her, or spring at her and rip me to shreds.

It meant to pounce. The lion was suddenly up in the air and sailing over the others, landing directly in front of Kyrra. It gave an angry growl, and she was suddenly looking directly into its unarmored pink maw, teeth glinting angrily in the lights.

A/N:Yay! Cliffhangers, a writer's best friend. I hope you enjoyed it! I have a special prize for you guys, now. Every two weeks I'll add a chapter, but on one condition. I'll only do that IF I can get ten reviews on this story. That's right, ten new reviews and you'll get chapters at regular intervals! Is it worth it?


	12. Chapter Ten: Blood and Subway

A/N: Can't remember how long it's been since I've updated. I can only say thank you for all those who are reviewing, and adding me to your alert lists. I'm trying to finish the chapters sooner, and hopefully won't have any more problems posting. I hope you enjoy the chapter; I've had fun writing it. The title, by the way, was kind of supposed to be a spoof on Blood and Chocolate…. Lame joke, I know.

Stone Embrace

Chapter Ten: Blood and Subway

Kyrra stumbled backwards as she fought to raise her bow and aim it into the monster's great maw. She got it about halfway up before the lion clawed at her, causing her to jump back before getting shred to ribbons. Over the lion's shoulder she could see Percy and Nico racing towards her, worried looks on their faces. Dominic was working on another one of his protection bubbles and Alexander was working on some kind of spell as well, his hair flying around him in an invisible wind. Annabeth was nowhere in sight.

Turning her focus back to the problem at hand, she jumped back as the lion clawed at her, this time keeping its mighty jaws closed tight. It took all of her concentration to jump back and avoid those dangerous claws.

Finally, the protection bubble was ready. It roared around Kyrra in a flash of black and green, sealing her up just as she lost her footing and tumbled to the floor, her bow clattering to the floor and out of her hands.

"Kyrra! Stay down." Percy called as he and Nico once again began their stab-retreat dance, trying to draw its attention away from Kyrra and back onto them. But the monster was having none of that, and it kept up its battering of the bubble surrounding the fallen Kyrra. She remained paralyzed, reaching for a weapon that was no longer there. The bow remained outside the bubble, while her daggers were in her backpack and out of her reach.

"Dominic, can you keep that bubble going and still cast Witch Fire?" Annabeth's voice asked from the middle of nowhere. Kyrra regained her composure then, pulling up her shirtsleeves and retrieving the two small knives, even smaller than the one Annabeth had been using.

"Yeah, I think so. This bubble is easier to keep going, for some reason." Dominic called, and then a shot of green flames raced along to the lion, over Kyrra's protective bubble. The monster gave a growl of pain and lurched back, shaking its great head. More fire trailed after it, with Dominic's hands thrust out to control it.

"Kyrra, you okay?" Percy asked, poking the bubble. As soon as he touched it, it disappeared, and she jumped up with the knives brandished, an evil look on her face. Instead of replying she chased after the lion, her bow forgotten.

A newly reappeared Annabeth was trying to duck the claws and get close to the mouth to stab it, while Nico tried keeping its mouth open, stabbing for the lion's nose. Dominic's flames raced over the blades, not quite touching but close. Alexander was looking for a weak spot on the flanks. Kyrra raced by him and made her way up to the head, ducking under the lion's claws. The right one started down towards her, but a bronze sword interfered, and Percy saved her from being shred to ribbons.

The lion's maw opened wide in a terrifying snarl, and Kyrra struck. The first knife got stuck between two monstrous teeth, but the second one hit the roof of the lion's mouth dead-on. With a yell she gave a final shove, and let the knife go. Pulling out of the lion's mouth her arm caught a giant tooth, a big gash cut through her arm.

"Did you get it?" Nico asked as Kyrra backed away from the lion, the wound on her arm forgotten. Everyone's eyes were trained on the lion as it stopped fighting and just began writhing, acting like a cat with a hairball. It seemed to collapse inward in front of their eyes, and soon all it was, was a lion skin.

"I think she got it." Dominic said dryly. He reached out and grabbed the skin off the ground, and it changed into a coat. One of those old western dusters that looked good only on tall people. Kyrra made a face.

"Ew. Is someone actually going to wear the skin?" Kyrra asked incredulously. Dominic turned to her and held out the coat, an evil look in his eyes.

"You are. Your kill, your prize. This coat will protect you from most anything from swords and bullets. The hero Hercules had to use one of the lion's own claws to skin it the first time, because normal knives wouldn't have worked." Alexander said with a chuckle.

"I am not wearing skins. It seems…utterly barbaric. And that duster doesn't fit in with my style." Kyrra sighed. She knew she was being a diva, but clothes weren't something she messed around with. After living on the streets she had developed a rather picky taste towards clothes, going toward the more punk feel than anything else. Western just wasn't in her style.

"It doesn't even look like a skin, Kyrra. As the one with the least amount of experience, you should take it." Annabeth said. Kyrra sighed, but took the coat from Dominic. As soon as she touched it, it transformed into a tight black leather trench coat that matched perfectly with her outfit.

"I don't remember it doing that before." Percy said, puzzled. He raised a hand and scratched the top of his head, then shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever. We've got a train to get to, tickets to buy." Kyrra began before Dominic interrupted

"Food to get. I'm still starving." He said with a slight pout, hands resting on his belly. His necklace was back under his shirt, the other's weapons stashed already. Kyrra put her own weapons away and went to retrieve her bag, the trench coat moving easily with her body. The little bow and quiver charms clipped back onto her pack while she attempted to replace the two knives back onto her arm. That was when she first noticed the blood.

"Can food wait? I need to…go to the restroom." Kyrra mumbled, trying to hide her wound with the sleeve of her new jacket.

"Sure, I'll come along too. The boys can handle the food." Annabeth offered. Kyrra shook her head, placing her arms behind her back.

"I can't even handle going to the bathroom by myself anymore? What am I, a child? Just stay here with the others." Kyrra responded angrily. She hated striking out at Annabeth like that, especially when she didn't deserve it. The annoying blonde did enough to piss her off normally, she didn't need to throw her temper around undeserved. The wound caused her to strike out, she rationalized with herself.

"No, I…Just let me go with you, Kyrra. It's not a big deal." Annabeth said determinedly, a suspicious glint in her eyes. Kyrra sighed but finally relented, handing off her bag to Alexander to hold onto. The small knife that strapped onto her injured arm went into her jacket pocket inconspicuously.

With her companion in tow, Kyrra made her way to the ladies room in the train station. It looked like every other bathroom, vaguely feminine but utterly unoriginal. A row of mirrors covered one wall, a row of stalls on the other. Kyrra made a beeline to the sink on the very end, acting like she was fixing my hair. _She probably thinks I'm so obsessed with myself, anyways,_ Kyrra thought. She waited until Annabeth looked absorbed in whatever it was she came in there to do before sliding off her lion skin jacket, checking the wound on her arm.

The injury wasn't too deep, just a scratch. It hurt, though, and was too close to the big vein in her arm for comfort. With another quick glance over at Annabeth she began scrubbing the wound clean with soap, gritting her teeth in pain.

"Hey…you were acting pretty suspicious out there." Annabeth said casually. Kyrra jumped at the sudden sound, looking over her shoulder worriedly. The other woman was still looking at herself in the mirror, but not doing anything in particular. Kyrra focused on keeping her body between her actions and Annabeth's gaze.

"Maybe you're just paranoid." She answered coolly, washing the soap out of the wound. She focused completely on her task, not letting the small pain from the injury wreck her focus. The others would just baby her if they found out she got hurt on her first monster in the quest, and she didn't want to be babied.

"I'm not paranoid, Kyrra. You wanted to go alone, because you were planning on running." Annabeth replied with such surety that it made Kyrra stop what she was doing to look at the other female, eyebrows raised.

"I wasn't trying to run away, Annabeth. I wanted to clean up after the fight." Kyrra told her honestly. She leaned against the sink edge with her arms crossed, momentarily forgetting her wound.

"Percy told me how you two met. I…I understand, running away." Annabeth said calmly. Kyrra snorted and shook her head.

"You don't understand shit, trust me on that Blondie. Just take your sympathy and shove it up your- "

"You're bleeding!" Annabeth exclaimed. She rushed over to Kyrra and began fussing over her wound, checking it over with a scrutiny that made the other female want to push her away. Kyrra just stood there, however, and let herself be worried over. "Honestly, you should have told someone."

"Hey, Annabeth. I'm bleeding." Kyrra said dryly. Annabeth shot her a look that clearly said how not funny that comment was before reaching into her bag and pulling out a bandage. She put some real antiseptic on the wound, and Kyrra had to clench her teeth again to keep a pained noise from escaping until the blonde set the bandage, giving it a gentle pat.

"There, all taken care of." Annabeth said cheerfully. Kyrra looked down at the stark white bandage on her arm, then up at her companion.

"Um…thanks." She muttered quietly, clearly embarrassed. She kept her gaze away from the other woman's, frowning. The small knife remained in her pocket, the sheath from her injured arm shredded by the lion's claws. Sighing, she tossed the sheath away; it was a waste, especially since she wouldn't be able to get a new one until they made it back to camp.

Neither of the two spoke again as they searched for the rest of the group again, finding them at the food court, ordering Subway. Kyrra hurried over to Alexander to claim her bag, throwing it over her shoulder. "You order me something good?"

"We just guessed what you liked. Ham with American cheese on wheat bread, and the vegetables usually everyone likes." Dominic answered between bites of his own sandwich, most of the vegetables spilling out the sides. Not that he seemed to mind, of course. He scarfed down the meat like any carnivore, a look of childish glee on her face.

"And I got you the usual, Annabeth." Percy murmured to his girlfriend, leading her off to a nearby table built for two while the other three sat at a four-seater, the one open chair clearly there for Kyrra's use, who plunked down and began greedily eating her own meal.

"Jeez, girl. You're eating like Dominic." Nico commented as he took a sip of his soda. Kyrra swallowed heavily at the big bite in her mouth, flipping him the bird. The dark haired boy only laughed and shook his head. "And you're as mean as Alexander."

"Hey, I take that offensively." Kyrra said when her throat was finally clear. "I'm a lot better looking than Alexander." She continued with a flirty wink towards both the aforementioned boy and Nico. "And I eat my vegetables, unlike the red-blooded teenager we have over here." She stole a pepper from Alexander's tray and popped it into her mouth, relishing the flavor.

"Yeah, yeah. You are all so cruel to me, it hurts." Dominic said blandly. He stuffed a potato chip into his mouth, talking around it. "So where we going?"

"Off to see the wizard, my dear friends." Alexander replied before Kyrra could speak, a wide smile on his face. He turned to face Kyrra, winking playfully at her. She snorted and continued nibbling at her food, shaking her head.

"We're going to Oz?" Dominic asked stupidly, eyebrows furrowing.

"No, stupid. Oz is the name of the wizard. He lives in the Emerald City." Annabeth's voice piped up from her nearby table. Five pairs of eyes turned to stare at her as her cheeks darkened, her gaze dropping to her half-eaten sandwich. "What? I loved that movie when I was a kid."

"So, Seattle." Percy mused, to draw attention away from his embarrassed girlfriend.

"Yes. Seattle." Kyrra whispered, setting down her food. Suddenly she wasn't so hungry anymore.

A/N: Ooh! What awaits poor Kyrra in Seattle? Will her wound be okay? Is everyone else thinking that Annabeth liking the Wizard of Oz is random? Me, too! Because, honestly…I write as I go. There is no big outline, no major plan. I mean, sure I know somewhat of what's going to happen, but not how it gets there. And isn't the journey more fun than the arrival? Anyways! So, I'm sitting in my room watching Sweeney Todd. Comment about what you're doing when reading this, and I'll mention my favorite ones in my next chapter.


	13. Chapter Eleven: Rides and Green Flames

A/N: I know, I know! I'm sorry! This chapter is way overdue, and I'm sorry that it's not the most exciting thing in the world. I've been really busy with schoolwork and a job, and fitting time in for my boyfriend. Well, here you go everyone, chapter eleven. Enjoy! ^.^

Stone Embrace

Chapter Eleven: Long rides and Green Flames

"I hate trains." Nico muttered as he crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat. Dominic was once again playing his games while Alexander was listening to music. Percy and Annabeth were talking quietly and looking out the windows, since they got the window seats. No one argued with the two, since they'd be all cute and lovey dovey wherever they sat. The others were unanimous that it'd be best to give them their space.

"I hate any confined space. Why couldn't we have taken a plane, again? We could have been there in less time instead of the 22 hours on this stupid thing." Kyrra complained. She had taken up residence over two seats , her legs crossed at her ankles while she riffled through her bag, looking for something to do.

"Percy and I don't handle planes well. Zeus wants to shoot us out of the sky, and I wouldn't want to kill a whole bunch of innocent people just because we wanted to arrive there faster." Nico explained, closing his eyes.

Kyrra sighed and leaned her head against the armrest of the chair behind her. Her bag went on the floor as she stared up at the ceiling, tossing and turning to get more comfortable. Eventually, her eyes drifted closed as she fell asleep, the rocking of the train under her.

Waking up to a nice cup of coffee is wonderful. Waking up to said cup of coffee being accidentally dropped onto you while you're still snoozing away is painful. Kyrra gave a shout as she bolted upright, the steaming liquid completely soaking through her shirt.

"Shit, shit, shit! I'm sorry!" Dominic said, panicked. He began blotting at the coffee while Kyrra tried to push him off, snarling angrily at him.

"Damn it, get off me!" She yelled, pushing him off. He let out a squeak and backed off. She groaned as she looked down at her ruined shirt, the now empty cup of coffee resting on the floor. She stood up and looked down at the slightly less wet train seat.

"I'm really sorry, Kyrra." Dominic mumbled, his head lowered. Kyrra sighed as she shook her head. The coffee finally stopped steaming as she pulled off her ruined shirt, trying to mop up the stain.

"Don't be. It was nice to think of me." Kyrra said, giving up. She held the wet shirt out in front of her, shaking her head. Dominic looked up, his cheeks blazing as soon as she realized what she wasn't wearing, and turned his back to her.

"Jeez, nice warning." He said sarcastically, though his ears were still a bright red with his embarrassment.

"Where is everyone?" Kyrra asked as she looked around the empty train car. Everyone's bags were stored up top, Kyrra's as well. She tilted her head, confused at when that happened. It was also dark outside.

"In the dining cart. It's about 9 p.m., so you've been asleep for about 6 hours. I thought about waking you up to come join us." Dominic said, regaining his composure enough to stop the horrid red blushing.

"With coffee spilled on me?" Kyrra asked a she stretched to reach her own bag. Everything was jumbled inside, but it didn't take too long for her to locate a new shirt and put it on. She stood there holding the old one, watching the son of the Witch Goddess's back.

"I can fix it, you know." Dominic announced, turning around. He took out the little clay disk again, gripping it in one hand while he placed the other on the ruined cushion. Kyrra watched on in curiosity as a faint green aura surrounded the seat, the little clay disk, and Dominic's body. It was a shining, shimmering aura, and in front of her very eyes she saw the stain get sucked up into the aura, until it looked like there wasn't one to begin with.

"Holy shit!" Kyrra exclaimed, her eyes widening. Dominic smirked up at her, and she struggled to regain her composure. "Um. I mean. Useful trick, Merlin. Where'd you learn it, Hogwarts?"

"Oh, very funny. Bravo, bravo. Like I've never heard that one before." Dominic muttered as he reached out to take her shirt. Kyrra gave it to him willingly, her gaze never leaving it as he worked his magic.

"Why is it green?" She asked quietly, more to herself than to him.

"Personal flair. All the children of Hecate have their own special color. My mother's magic, she's purple. If you ever see it, run." Dominic instructed, the humor fading from his voice. His grip on her shirt tightened as he wrung it in his hands, lost in thought.

Kyrra opened her mouth to comment, but the others opened the train's sliding door, piling into the room. Nico was laughing his head off while Annabeth scrubbed something black off Percy's face. Alexander was still plugged into his music, and this time he plunked down into a window seat. Kyrra stowed her bag and took the other side, Dominic sitting next to her.

"And the black?" Kyrra asked Dominic, ignoring the others as she sought out the answers to her queries.

"Black? What black?" Dominic questioned back, but before Kyrra could elaborate the train began to slow.

"Another transfer? We've had at least 4 in the last three hours." Nico complained, his humor forgotten. Kyrra frowned as she searched her memories, trying to remember when she had woken up to transfer trains. Finding none, she voiced her concern.

"Alexander carried you. You're a very heavy sleeper, you know." Annabeth explained, still trying to wipe the same smudge off her boyfriend's face. Kyrra raised her eyebrows as she explained sleeping on the streets, that heavy sleeping would get you killed. Everyone, however, insisted that she had been carried on and off trains, as well as through depots, for the past six hours.

"Well, tough luck sugar. 'Cuz that's what's been happening. And do you know how heavy you are?" Alexander asked, pulling one headphone out of his ears. Kyrra's mouth gaped open as she searched for something to throw at him, but it was Percy to the rescue. Somehow he had managed to wipe the black goo off his face, and he quickly flung it onto the other male, where it stuck onto the bridge of his nose with a wet splat.

The others began their uncontrollable laughter once more while Kyrra stared, puzzled. Alexander muttered curses under his breath as he attempted to remove the goo from his face, but it stuck fast, like superglue. "What is that stuff?"

"We don't really know, exactly. Nico managed to create it one day." Dominic answered between fits of laughter. Kyrra watched Alexander unsuccessfully try to rid himself of the black goo and soon was doubled over in convulsive laughter at the look on his face, the frustration and annoyance.

He flailed, trying to yank the goop off. The stuff stretched like a rubber band before returning to his face with a wet sound, spreading to cover his cheek as well as most of his nose. Alexander sighed as he gave up, arms crossed over his chest as he scowled, one leg propped up on the bench seat.

"Just for that, none of you get to play with my deck of cards. You'll just have to find your own entertainment for the rest of the ride." He threatened with a grin.

And so the train ride continued. Alexander had to deal with his sticky friend while the others talked amongst each other. Kyrra managed to wrestle Dominic's precious game system away from him and used that until the battery died. He groaned and pulled out some book while Kyrra gazed blankly around the room, refusing to fall asleep again. Night turned into day as the group drifted in and out of sleep, but Kyrra refused to let her exhaustion win. She bought many cups of coffee from the dining cart and remained alert, like a sentinel. Eventually the others gave up trying to convince her to sleep again.

At last, the train rolled to a complete stop. The gaggle of weary travelers gathered up their belongings and shambled off the train with the rest of the passengers like a herd of cattle. Annabeth was short tempered and Nico was sullen. None of them wanted to talk as they left the train station to find some sort of shuttle that could hold all six of them.

"Where are we even going? A hotel?" Kyrra asked rubbing eyes, red from lack of sleep.

"Oh, no. Chicago has its own version of camp, a boarding house for those on the west coast." Dominic informed with a nod of his head. Out of all of them he was the most chipper, odd from a child of the Dark Gods.

"So you have one location for each coast? What about the rest of the world?" Kyrra asked, raising her eyebrows. It sounded ridiculous to her, and things that sounded false often were truly false. Maybe she really was drugged, and all of this a really clever hallucination like she originally thought.

"There aren't that many of us, and we're mainly from the U.S, simply because that is where Mount Olympus is." Annabeth chimed in. She rubbed her forehead and continued searching for a shuttle.

"So we're staying at this Boardinghouse thing?" Kyrra questioned. It didn't matter to her, as long as there was someplace for her to lie down. Not sleeping on the train had been a big mistake, but slumber evaded her.

"Of course. I haven't been to the Half-Blood Boardinghouse in a long time." Alexander said absently, a vague smile on his face as they climbed into the shuttle bus Annabeth had flagged down.

A/N: There you go! Yes, it's short. Yes, it's not the most exciting chapter in the world. I wanted to explain a few things, so this is kind of a filler chapter. But it gives a hint to Kyrra's parentage, and a sort of hint for what's awaiting Alexander in the next chapter. Yes, Alexander is not just a random character. He has a purpose for this story, as does Dominic. Percy is involved only because I needed him to introduce Kyrra to the world of Greek Mythology, and he kind of stuck. Annabeth is a cling-on (and I'm hoping I'll get a better chance to torture her), while Nico…he just had to come. I love Nico, so any story about PJO has to involve him.


	14. I'm baaaaaaaaaack

Hello once more, readers. I know, it's been forever. But, I'm not quitting this story. I've been very busy with a lot of personal things, but now everything is fine. I am continuing this story, and am very excited to do so, and the new chapter should be up hopefully by Sunday, or late Monday. Well, I just wanted to let people know that this story is being finished, and I'm not about to leave you all with no conclusion. I just happen to take little (long) breaks, where a giant writers block slams down on top of me. I apologize for it, and will attempt to not let it control me as much in the future. Thank you all for being so patient with me, and I hope that you all aren't too upset.


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